School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/1607
The collections in this community comprise faculty research works, as well as graduate theses and dissertations.
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Item Home on 7th and P(2024) Bugbee, Megan; Burke, Juan; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this thesis is to address the on-going homelessness struggles cities face and provide an opportunity to lessen the number of people battling homelessness. Focusing on the DC area, the city has made attempts to end homelessness yet based on the demographics DC’s majority homeless population consist of single male individuals. This is where DC is falling short in the fight to end homelessness by providing for these single individuals. Searching for gaps in the urban fabric typically where these individuals congregate, this thesis aims to provide a solution to add to the existing DC programs to further eliminate homelessness in the area. Proposing a kit of part design solution for a sustainable construction method that can be assembled, dissembled, and transported to new sites depending on need. The kit-of-parts systems include modular wall panels, prefabricated structural frames, roof trusses, and mechanical systems such as HVAC units. By using these standardized components, builders can streamline their processes, reduce costs, and increase efficiency while still maintaining high levels of quality. This thesis can provide necessities to the homeless such as beds, safety and security, medical support, and the ability to learn life skills.Item Lots of Healing: A Transformative Approach to Lot Vacancy(2021) Clark, Leah Christina; Burke, Juan; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis aims to re-evaluate the abandonment of vacant lots and develop an architectural typology used to address the issue of lot vacancy in specific areas of the city. Through examining the history of the Sandtown-Windchester neighborhood in Baltimore, a multi layered intervention will be developed to address the issue of homelessness and lot abandonment specific to this neighborhood. This intervention will then be adapted to address lot vacancy that exists in cities across the country. This intervention and research will serve as a catalyst to spark further discussion about the societal implications of the mishandling of vacant lots, and ways to adapt them to serve the communities in which they exist in order to inspire a positive societal impact.Item Modeling the Relationship Between the Housing First Approach and Homelessness(2020) Boston, David; Lung-Amam, Willow; Urban and Regional Planning and Design; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)A growing body of evidence from individual-level studies demonstrating that the Housing First approach is effective at keeping those experiencing homelessness in stable housing has led to the approach being championed by many leading experts, especially as a way to address chronic homelessness (O'Flaherty, 2019). This helps us understand the relationship between Housing First and an individual’s homelessness, but we know very little about the relationship between implementation of a Housing First approach and overall homelessness rates in a community. In a 2019 survey of homelessness research published by the Journal of Housing Economics, Brendan O’Flaherty wrote: “What has been missing in studies of Housing First are estimates of aggregate impact: does operating a Housing First program actually reduce the total amount of homelessness in a community?” Through this study, I sought to understand if Continuums of Care (CoC) that have adopted a Housing First approach by dedicating a higher proportion of their resources towards permanent housing units are associated with a lower proportion of people experiencing homelessness between the years 2009 and 2017 than CoCs dedicating a higher proportion of their resources towards emergency shelter and other short-term solutions. Additionally, I sought to understand how that relationship between the implementation of a Housing First approach and homelessness rates change as the values of median rent, unemployment, and other covariates typically associated with homelessness rates change. I hypothesized that CoCs adopting a Housing First approach, as defined in the context of this study, would experience lower homelessness rates. The hypothesis that homelessness rates would decrease as the Housing First index increases was supported by the results, but the relationship is more complex than hypothesized. The relationship between Housing First and homelessness rates was quadratic in nature and influenced by an interaction effect with housing tenure. Jurisdictions that adopted a Housing First approach generally experienced lower homelessness rates, except where a vast majority of households are owner-occupied.Item Social Enterprise Development: A preventative approach to homelessness and displacement in Point Breeze, Philadelphia(2019) Huntington, Cassandra Aaryn; Gabrielli, Julie; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Social enterprise development focuses on creating economic value to help solve social problems. This thesis tests the viability of this concept by creating a mixed-use, mixed-income property in a low-income neighborhood in South Philadelphia. A profit-sharing financial model is used to support both affordable housing and transitional housing for homeless adolescents. The thesis uses biophilic design principles and values to explore architecture’s role in healing from adolescent trauma and preventing future health issues. This thesis presents a preventative solution to social issues rather than a reactive solution. Prevention of chronic homelessness and prevention of displacement are key to addressing social injustice and help break cycles of poverty in low-income communities. This thesis exemplifies architecture’s ability to provide equal access to both housing and services to help the most vulnerable members of society and help them become self-sufficient and contributing members of the community.